A BIRMINGHAM-born artist whose work was an influence on the founders of the Ikon Gallery has died.

Trevor Denning was born in Moseley in 1923 and studied painting and graphics at the Birmingham School of Art from 1938 to 1942 and taught there between 1945 and 1985.

In 2004 the artist took part in the 40th anniversary celebrations of the BrindleyPlace gallery by exhibiting his oil painting of fellow artist’s Sylvani Merilion’s lips.

The painting, called Large Mouth and measuring about four feet long by three feet wide, was created in 1966.

His muse helped set up the Ikon Gallery along with Jesse Bruton, Bob Groves and David Prentice.

Forty years later, the gallery has grown into a large self-contained building, is generously funded by the city and the Arts Council, and shows the work of international artists.

Its director Jonathan Watkins said: “Trevor Denning was vitally important for the post-war Birmingham art world.

“His incisive mind, his radical scepticism and commitment to cultural life here made an enormous difference. Ikon will always be in his debt.”

Mr Denning was one of the founders of the Birmingham Artists’ Committee in 1947 and in 1961 he organised the Four Letter Art exhibition at the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, having been elected a member the year before.

He is also a published expert on Spanish playing cards and in 1993 won the Modiano Prize for research into the history of playing cards.